By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Toledo, Ohio---Sierra Harley (Africentric/Columbus, Ohio), a reigning National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) First Team All-American, will move on to play at NCAA Division I Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) this coming season.

"Besides the really nice environment, FGCU has a caring staff working around the program and they want to not only see us be good basketball players, but outstanding students," Harley said of her decision. "I believe I will fit in with the team due to my work ethic and willingness to compete. I think after all the time I've put into getting myself better, it has finally paid off. I'm really looking forward to my new teammates and coaches."

This past season, the freshman guard led the Owens Community College women's basketball team in scoring while posting averages of 15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. She posted totals of 541 points (7th most in a single season in program history), 197 rebounds, 182 assists, 78 steals and 10 blocks en route to First Team All-Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC), OCCAC Player of the Year, First Team All-Region XII, Region XII District I Player of the Year, NJCAA First Team All-American and WBCA First Team All-American honors. Along with Ashley Tunstall, she was also named the team's Co-MVP.

Harley posted one triple-double - Jan. 31 vs Cincinnati State - and six double-doubles. She had a season-high 13 rebounds in the Jan. 31 win, a season-high 12 assists in a March 18 national quarterfinal win over Monroe College and a season-high 25 points in a Jan. 24 win over Columbus State. She also had a season-high nine steals in a Jan. 28 win over Lorain County.

Additionally, Harley was highly efficient from the field while posting a 50.2 shooting percentage from the field overall, a 40.2 3-point field goal percentage and a 77.1 free throw percentage.

In OCCAC play, Harley averaged 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 3.3 steals per game. For her play, she was a four-time OCCAC player of the week (Dec. 14, Jan. 4, Feb. 1, March 1) aside from being named the league's MVP. In national tournament play, she averaged 15.3 points, 6.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game en route to NJCAA Division II All-National Tournament team honors.

Harley becomes the third player from last year's team to sign with a four-year school, and she is the second NCAA Division I signee. Sophomore forward Ashley Tunstall (Huber Heights Wayne/Dayton, Ohio) previously signed with Bowling Green State University, while sophomore guard Zhana Randolph (Rochester/Rochester Hills, Mich.) signed with NAIA University of Saint Francis (Ind.) earlier this week.

The Eagles of FGCU are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, and they are led by head coach Karl Smesko. The five-time defending A-Sun regular season champions finished 31-3 last year, including a 14-0 mark in A-Sun play. They captured the A-Sun tournament championship for the third straight year with a 60-43 win over Northern Kentucky and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Florida State. At one point, the team captured 26 straight wins, and they finished the regular season ranked No. 20 in the nation.

Meanwhile, Owens had a similarly successful season. In what was the best season in program history, Owens finished 34-2 overall, posted a 14-0 record in OCCAC play, captured the Region XII District I championship and advanced to the NJCAA Division II Final Four before finishing third in the nation.

For more information on the Owens women's basketball program, visit here